This I Believe

I believe God is good is a symmetric equation. Whether this is true or if God exists, I leave to hope. Some claim to know the divine, I continue to search in the symmetry of the equation.

In pursuit of good, emotional arguments fed by fear, hate, biases, bigotry, or disrespect for reason are often used. It is my belief we are all motivated to do good. In other words, few pursue evil. Evil is an outcome of ignoring the collateral damage of our good intentions.

In mortal terms, good is relative. Absolute good is the ultimate good. Absolute good can be defined as being good for you, good for me, good for all, good for then, good for now, and good forever. Though absolute good is not attainable, it is a path to seek.

Doing good can be measured by the difference in the positive and negative influence an action has on all affected, both directly and indirectly. It is this measurement I perceive as a computer algorithm. I am a software engineer by profession. My job is to develop algorithms as solutions for scientific, engineering, and business problems. The Do Good Gauge is my algorithm to democratically measure the worth of an argument.

The Do Good Gauge is a concept to provide a comprehensive source for researching every aspect of an intelligent argument. Unlike a debate, where the goal is to win, the purpose of the Do Good Gauge is to stimulate discussion for higher reason and broader understanding.

The Do Good Gauge will be a website where refined arguments are judged by the public. Scores will be visualized with three dimensional real time gauges which appear as a fuel gauge, tachometer, thermometer, or speedometer. An argument is gauged not only from direct reader voting, but based on the scores and relevancy of related arguments. This relevancy factor provides the connectivity for exposing the collateral damage and for fleshing out solutions for the common good.

Categorization, author suggestion, reader association, and software heuristics will initiate connectivity. Connectivity is ongoing as new arguments are created. The public measures relevancy through a gauge where zero is the center, one extreme measures highly relative and supporting views, and the other extreme will measure highly relative but counter-supporting views. The score of an argument is determined by a factor of direct reader voting, the scores of all related arguments, their relevancy, time, and revision.

The Do Good Gauge is much more than a popularity contest. Its purpose is to keep ideas flowing, break down polarizing points of views, and provide a competitive network for encouraging argument refinement. Connectivity provides the road map to understand and respect various points of view, thus breaking down the dogma and hatred caused by single minded agendas and ignorance. I view ignorance as the root of all evil. The root of the word ignorance is ignore. A first step towards absolute good is to stop ignoring the collateral damage of our good intentions. The Do Good Gauge is my attempt to understand the direction to absolute good.

This I believe -- The Do Good Gauge -- Scott Nesler

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